The poorest suburbs of the Zimbabwean Capital are set for a $16 million cleanup, thanks to a fast-tracked grant from the African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

The first stage of the project will concentrate on removing the raw sewage currently spilled into residential areas and securing the water supply for the most vulnerable areas of Greater Harare, home to 2 million people.

Decades of neglect have paid their toll on Zimbabwe’s water and sanitation facilities. An estimated 20% of the population in the beneficiary areas is exposed to raw sewage and many communities rely on water drawn from contaminated sources.

To remediate in the most efficient and cost-effective way, the AfDB project will notably rehabilitate 9 pumping stations and 4 sewage treatment plants, replace 28 kilometres of broken sewer pipes and repair a decrepit water supply distribution network.

The Zimbabwe Government’s national plan to restore the economy to its pre-crisis levels recognises the need for urgent investment in water and sanitation in order to avoid a repetition of the 2008/2009 cholera epidemic which claimed 4 300 lives.

Water-borne illnesses and diarrhea in particular, are currently the leading cause of mortality in children under five and a huge strain on social well-being in Zimbabwe. Women, as caregivers, bear the brunt of the water and sanitation crisis.

Financial resources are to be channeled through “Zim-Fund”, a multi-donor trust fund and collaborative effort between members of the donor community and the Government of Zimbabwe.

In addition to Harare, the towns of Chitungwiza, Ruwa, part of Greater Harare, Redcliff and other towns throughout Zimbabwe will see their water and sanitation facilities rehabilitated as part of the project.